“I started to learn diving at five and a half. For the last 16 years i have been training on how to perfect a dive that lasts one second. ”

- 2004 Chinese 10 Meter Platform Dive Olympic Gold Medalist Ho Chya

Is being called a workhaholic necessarily positive? On the positive side, that means you are perceived to be putting in long hours and working hard, which can be positive. But being billed as a workaholic also carries some negative connotations. That almost certainly means that you are a compulsive worker, meaning you don’t feel at ease unless you are doing something.

I must admit I am somewhat of a compulsive reader. I go to the doctors Read the rest of this entry »

This week, I received 2 certificates.

One was from the City University of Hong Kong, where I recently finished my MBA Read the rest of this entry »

I debated with myself whether this goes under the heading of business, or whether it should be in life, but finally decided that being able to prioritize was not only something that you need to be effective in business, but also in living life.

I tried to observe some of my colleagues and friends, and I think one of the things I observe is how many of us fail to prioritize.

Many people just simply list down the things or task that they need to do, and often Read the rest of this entry »

We form mostly our life’s theories on the people we meet, the circumstance we experience, and the books we read. As they say, if you spend your years in a suburban city, or in a big city, or you associate mostly with church going people, or hard nosed businessmen, then you can form radically different conclusions on life, people and business. These are not necessarily always correct, but then again, your perception defines your thoughts and who is to say you are not right?

I looked therefore at people who work in emergency section of hospitals, and I see that they just constantly meet a stream of people who have been stabbed, robbed, or meet with Read the rest of this entry »

/* This is a speech delivered by Franklin Knight Lane in June 14, 1914. 90 years after, it is still relevant and hopefully continues to give us inspiration and meaning. It shows that while we have different roles and aspirations, we all contribute to the community we are living today. I am also enclosing this as a sample of past eloquence which we should all continue to read and be inspired. */

This morning, as I passed in on the Land Office, the Flag dropped me a most cordial Read the rest of this entry »

Proper communication is an issue in many developing countries, and a malady in many developed ones. And it is not something that is strongly caused or correlated to education, literacy or technology at all. In fact, two highly educated people from two different cultures or backgrounds ( or same ones) can have the illusion of agreement and communication when in fact, they may be grossly misunderstanding each other using the same terminology of which they have different interpretations. Are we visualizing the same thing when we say dog? Are you thinking of a doberman, while I am thinking of a chihuahua?

As I laughingly say, if after 12 years, Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some of the favorite quotes on leadership and management that I come across that I would like to share. The last quote is a great case of leadership by example:

It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. —- Brin

we have, i fear, confused power with greatness. —– Udall

we thought, because we had power, we had wisdom. —- Benet

Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.
—– James Baldwin

I once heard this story from my father about 25 years ago, when I was still in high school. I had come home almost crying, and this is an old chinese tale:

A farmer, who was considered a sage in the locality, had a prized horse which was the envy of the town. One day, the horse vaulted the gate and disappeard, and neighbors were lamenting him about his misfortune. He nonchalantly said, “well, good luck, bad luck, that’s life!”.

A few days after, his horse came back, this time with several more horses together. The neighbors once again congratulated him on his good fortune, and he nonchalantly said, “good luck, Read the rest of this entry »

Advice is Seldom Welcome; and those who need it most always want it the least … - Earl of Chesterfield

To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it. - John Collins

I slept and dreamed that life was beauty.
I woke and found that life was duty;
Was my dream, then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, sad heart, courageously,
And thou sahlt find thy dream shall be
A noonday light and truth to thee. - Ellen Hooper

For , dear me, why abadon a belief
Merely because it ceases to be true?
cling to it long enough, and not a doubt
It will turn true again, for so it goes. - Robert Frost

One person with a belief is equal to a force of 99 who only have interests. - John Stuart Mill